NFL confirms flag should have been thrown on block that injured Kevin Huber

Posted by Josh Alper on December 17, 2013, 6:40 PM EDT

AP

Mike Florio explained earlier on Tuesday that Steelers linebacker Terence Garvin should have been penalized for the helmet-to-helmet block that ended Bengals punter Kevin Huber’s season even though Huber was trying to make a tackle on the play.

Now NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino has confirmed it. During an appearance on NFL Network on Tuesday, Blandino said that Huber was considered a defenseless player on the play under the league’s rules and that the NFL wants to “flag hits like that” with 15-yard personal fouls.

“Huber, he’s a punter. And the key is he’s defenseless throughout the down,” Blandino said. “So even though he’s pursing the play, he still gets defenseless-player protection. You can’t hit him in the head or neck, and you can’t use the crown or forehead parts of the helmet to the body.”

In other words, Garvin should expect to hear from league about a fine.

Huber broke his jaw and cracked vertebrae in his neck on the hit and was place on injured reserve on Tuesday. Blandino said that hits like that on punters would be a “point of emphasis” with officials this week.

everyone easily knows who the kicker is during the play and you can block the guy as hard as you want, just not to the head…. so I don’t see all the uproar from people saying it’s making the game softer…

99% of players never take it to a kicker like that anyway… any NFL linebacker can block him with one hand.

It was super low class for Garvin to blow up the guy like that. Broken neck vertebrae and broken jaw? come on…..

It’s no surprise to Bengals fans that pittsburgh gets free shots with no penalties… it’s been like that for decades. For every 10 post-play swings/shoves by the steelers or ravens…. they get penalized 1 time out of 10….the Bengals get called 7 out of 10 times.

Bengals fans just accept the fact that pittsburgh, baltimore, and new england are going to get all the freebie calls and/or butt saving no-calls.

THE REAL PROBLEM is the lopsided amount of the personal foul calls on clean plays by the Bengals in AFC North games.

Those bogus personal fouls penalizing the Bengals added to the endless no-calls for pittsburgh/baltimore make the consistently lopsided officiating very maddening.

“Defenseless throughout the down”- that makes sense. Pat McAfee sure looked defenseless when he laid out Trindon Holliday. Everyone gave great praise for that hit since it was a punter. Can’t have it both ways.

I would really like to see WHY a punter attempting to engage in defensive actions are considered defenseless. Are we really saying because they are smaller they are defenseless? That would be a really weak position. If this hit was applied to a lineman, would it still be illegal? If not, then there seems no justification for it being illegal here. I would really like to see uniformity in the rules and not these special rules for certain types of positions.

Perfectly legal hit……10 years ago
He’s wearing a helmet and trying to disaffect the play therefore he is fair game. Plays like this used to occur in the NFL all the time but now we have to make the game “safe”. What are “defenseless” people doing on a pro football playing field?
The way the rules are now…nobody knows what is legal. Blame it on the Refs, I guess that’s the always easy answer.

My dad played pro and he told me a story when the Jets played and Namath threw an int the Jets had him run off the field so he wouldn’t get hit. So if you want to protect punters and kickers once they kick they should be coached to get off the field or they need to be treated like the same other 11 guys on the field.

If there are specific infractions for hitting players of different positions then they need to have some sort of mark on their jersey or helmet. The game is too fast to have to figure out if the guy is a punter before hitting him. Yeah it could be obvious sometimes but maybe not as obvious as it might seem.

I don’t blame the refs one bit because what the NFL is asking of the officials is not possible to officiate. I am amazed the refs get any calls right with this helmet to helmet, defenseless receiver B.S. These are the best athletes in the world moving around on a field at break-neck speeds. This will never change but yet we ask officials to make judgment calls that no human being can possibly see. I applaud the refs for even trying to get it right. They have been set up to fail.

The pittsburgh post gazette might finally say something about it. They had no articles about the punters condition yesterday, even though it was known. Of course most Steeler fans have justified it when I left comments on their web site. This guy is a human being and football is a tough sport but there is no place for hits like this on a punter/kicker, which was clearly a cheap shot . But of course special team rules don’t apply to the Steelers as the refs blew two major calls now . Remember Tomlinson special teams antics? Bring back the replacement refs !

If Blandino wants to say this was an illegal hit, it should be because Garvin led with his helmet or for some other reason related to the tackle itself. The NFL should not suddenly redefine the rules to say punters and kickers get free shots at the returners. That’s setting a ridiculous precedent. But what else is new?

And like most fans, I’m tired of the weekly announcement about the flags that should have been thrown but weren’t. Fining players after the fact does nothing to change the trajectory of game after the final whistle has blown. It’s long past time the NFL did something to ensure the right calls are made while the game is in progress.

I don’t get the preferential treatment for a punter. NO ONE should be hit that way.

The fact that he’s a punter is just obfuscating the real issue: A helmet to helmet hit that used a face shield as a weapon. It was dirty, unnecessary, and I hope it costs Garvin the rest of the season.

Kudos to the leaders of the NFL. The games are more exciting than ever and they’re finally try to make it safer for the players. People complaining about the game becoming too soft should learn more about the history of the league. Did making horse collar tackles a penalty make the league soft? Since the league was founded the leaders of the NFL have continually altered the game to make it more exciting. get used to it because Goodell isn’t going anywhere since tv viewership for an average NFL game is 17 million.

I would really like to see WHY a punter attempting to engage in defensive actions are considered defenseless. Are we really saying because they are smaller they are defenseless?

———————————————-

kickers are smaller and more importantly must have a tiny face mask so they can do their job…

I would really like to see WHY a guy who is forced by his job to basically have a KLEENEX as face protection has to prove to you guys that it’s OK for arguably the nastiest hitters in the NFL to tee off on his face just because he’s trying to get to the return man, which he has about a 1% chance of stopping anyway….

They should have kept the replacement officials. The refs are beyond awful. Hitting Drew Brees on his bicep draws a flag, altering the outcome of the game, yet breaking punter’s jaw with crown of helmet draws no flag! Beyond ridiculous.

To all these posts saying how punters/kickers have to wear special ID jerseys or whatever because players don’t have time to figure out who they are:

Are you kidding me? With a few exceptions, they are the most misfit looking ones on the field.

I’ve never seen or heard of a punter getting cheap shotted like that, so it’s probably been a good number of years since it’s happened. There’s probably 10 punts per game, 15-16 games per week for 17 weeks. That’s a lot of punts with no one else having any problems identifying who the kickers are.

Huber wasn’t in the act of punting, he wasn’t more vulnerable than any other player on the field. If he made the tackle, it would have counted exactly the same as any other player.

People loved when Pat McAfee lit up Trindon Holliday.

Punters are football players. They are more than capable of making tackles, even big hits. The only time a punter should be granted special protection is when they are doing the thing that makes them more vulnerable, when they are punting.

After the act of punting the ball down the field was complete, they shouldn’t be considered ‘punters’ anymore. How about consider them ‘defenders’?

They knock out a QB, they try to trip up a KR, they fist a DL and they head butt a punter. Every week it’s something more unsavory then the last. And yet, the fans do nothing but whine about uncalled penalties and obsess about teams that play fair and have better records. What a joke of a season! What a joke of a fan base!

In Pittsburgh fans’ defense, they’ve been so used to getting away with everything from roids to phantom calls against their opponents to no calls against them or their head coach, that they somehow think it’s the way things should be.

And like most fans, I’m tired of the weekly announcement about the flags that should have been thrown but weren’t. Fining players after the fact does nothing to change the trajectory of game after the final whistle has blown. It’s long past time the NFL did something to ensure the right calls are made while the game is in progress.
=============================

Agree.

When are refs going to begin being fined?

Last night the Baltimore DB held the Lions’ receivers arm with the ref standing right there and no call.

So, if the punter makes a tackle, does it count since he has now been deemed a protected person? The new rule should be that the punting is to be handled by linemen and linebackers. Get rid of the pansies.

If there are specific infractions for hitting players of different positions then they need to have some sort of mark on their jersey or helmet. The game is too fast to have to figure out if the guy is a punter before hitting him. Yeah it could be obvious sometimes but maybe not as obvious as it might seem.
============================

This is wrong on a few levels.

First, sometimes in football – and I’ve played a lot – you’re in the middle of bodies and sometimes you’re not. This was not. He lined him up and knew exactly who he was hitting and how he was hitting him.

On a defenseless player – assuming the team knows the rules better than the fans – that’s not only 15 yards, it’s an ejection and the fine later.

Second, it was an illegal block regardless. Even if it weren’t a defenseless player, it should have been 15 yards and a fine later.

So, if the punter makes a tackle, does it count since he has now been deemed a protected person? The new rule should be that the punting is to be handled by linemen and linebackers. Get rid of the pansies.
==========================

This is the strawman argument.

If you can’t blindside a defenseless player with the crown of your helmet, then he can’t be blocked and the return guy should just lay down.

No one said you can’t block a punter. Just like a receiver can be in a defenseless position and still be tackled.

You can’t take a kill shot on a defenseless player.

And for that matter, the block itself should have been 15 and bring back the return if it were against anyone since it was leading with the crown of the helmet.

Huber wasn’t in the act of punting, he wasn’t more vulnerable than any other player on the field. If he made the tackle, it would have counted exactly the same as any other player.
================================

First, it was not perfectly legal regardless since it was leading with the crown of the helmet. 15 yards and bring the return back.

Second, the rules specify that punters and kickers ARE defenseless players during the kick AND THE RETURN. It doesn’t matter if you or I don’t like the rule – it’s the rule.

The guy should have been ejected, suspended, fined and there should have been a 15 yard penalty with the return brought back.

I agree. To me, it looked like the hit was higher than it had to be. Garvin’s hit to chest area unfortunately caused his helmet to connect with Huber’s head, and overall was illegal under the current NFL rules that say a punter/kicker is considered a special person even if he is going to stick his nose into the play and try to tackle the ball carrier. I do sincerely hope Huber recovers completely, since I never want to see anyone injured. If they are always defenseless players, I now do completely believe kickers should not be allowed to be involved in the play at all after they kick it–they should be REQUIRED to go right to the sideline, and it should be illegal to touch them in any way after they kick they ball.

And amazingly, this was the only penalty involved in a possible scoring play the refs missed this past weekend!! And as you might have guessed, the Steelers benefited from it. Yep, the ONLY penalty that related to a possible scoring play that the refs missed. Unless you watched at least the Ravens game last night, that is.

Give me a break. Blame the NFL, blame the refs, blame the rules, but don’t blame the Steelers for the non-call. If a penalty was called the Steelers would have had to accept it during the game. It wasn’t called. Quit crying about that part of it.

Defenseless through the down….lol….Seen the play over and over. Garvin couldn’t have hit him any better. There is no way a flag should of been thrown. Refs got it right. If the punter is going to make an attempt to make a tackle he’s going to get laid out like the other players on the field. Maybe Huber should have run to the sidelines immediately after he kicked the ball or you just suffer the consequences.

I saw a few posts ask whether the officials received any punishment… Not sure if anyone answered yet, but I saw on either ESPN or NFL network that the officials were downgraded for missing the play. Just amazes me that none of the referees saw the punted get air-lifted right infront of them… that player should be suspended a game for that hit. Some players LOVE to hit a punter or kicker because they know how easy it is… He could of easily just knocked him outta the way but he wanted to level him because he weighs a hundred pounds less and they have fun knocking down easy targets like that. And if i were him i would feel absolutely awful. The reason a punter has to now eat through a straw is because this idiot couldnt help himself when he saw the oppurtunity.

It’s amazing what 40-couple years will do to peoples’ memories. Joe Green didn’t get the “Mean” for being a choir boy. Jack lambert didn’t scare people just because he was missing those teeth. Mel Blount didn’t cause the NFL to create the five yard limit to contacting a receiver because he was grabbing opponents’ jerseys down field.

These guys beat the snot out if their opponents between the whistles and after. Let’s not get all hippy-loving around here when a Steeler lays out an opponent. Yes, Huber’s injuries are horrible and should not be taken lightly. Garvin’s hit was clearly outside the rules. He should have been flagged and he deserves whatever penalty the league hands down.

But let us not for even a moment act as if this kind of hit was somehow out of character for the Pittsburgh Steelers and let us not for even a moment act as if we fans would want them to behave any other way.

Thoughts and prayers to the injured punter. These are not easy ‘bounce back’ type injuries he sustained and best case scenario he is going to have quite a few painful days and nights while sucking meals through a straw. It is an interesting debate, the rules/interpretations that is. But I hope that these serious injuries don’t escape you folks related to putting this into perspective.

Horrible non-call by referees. Typical cheap shot by Steelers. They coach their players to deliver illegal blocks and glamorize them for doing it. Heinz Ward made a living doing it and would laugh about it and his coaches, teammates and fans cheered for the punk. Classless play by a classless team with a classless coach and a classless organization. BTW their stadium was half empty of their classless fans on Sunday Night Prime Time when it happened. Another demonstration of an organization that claims to be “The Greatest” but doesn’t support their team at home against their division laws ding rival in mid December during a playoff race. Classless!

““Defenseless throughout the down”- that makes sense. Pat McAfee sure looked defenseless when he laid out Trindon Holliday. Everyone gave great praise for that hit since it was a punter. Can’t have it both ways.”

“You’re Done”…It’s not an issue of can the punter get smeared or not on a punt return. They can, legally… just not to the head. The reason isn’t because they’re big wussies. That’s irrelevant. It IS because of roster logistics. If a LB or DE or CB or WR or RB or whoever else goes down the answer is simple… next man up. Teams don’t carry extra kickers/punters and the loss of one due to Bush League sportsmanship can unfairly influence the outcome of a game. It takes from the quality of the matchup. The NFL has nearly mastered parity (as good as possible at least). If kickers/punters get injured through the common course of the game… deal with it. But not maliciously.

If they weren’t protected, why wouldn’t every team just sign an undrafted/unemployed bum off the streets (like this guy on the Steelers) every week to go in, take the kickers knee out with a cheap shot on the opening kickoff. Penalize and eject the guy, cut him, and get a new guy to do it next week. Maybe that’s exactly what a struggling franchise on the decline (the Steelers) planned all along???

1st off who READS an NFL rule book? @ realitycheck..Yes Garvin should be fined for the helmet to helmet but the block itself was above board..if punters/kickers don’t Wana get hit they shouldn’t be able to make a tackle..as far as blaming the Steelers for the refs mistake is just dumb..what about the hit on the lion’s WR that laid him out against the Ravens..clear helmet to helmet..these refs been terrible all season..no team is immune to their ineptitude. Give it a rest.For years ppl were saying the Refs had it out for the Steelers..now it’s the complete opposite

I’m glad that members of the media actually watched a Bengals game rather than just pretend they did and then make some baseless comment about how they need a new QB or the defensive coordinator is amazing. Its unfortunate that it had to be one marred by an ugly play like this and critical non-calls

I thought “player safety” was suppose to be the main issue and would think that a helmet-to-helmet hit on anybody, no matter their job title or normal assignment would be considered an infraction in the spirit of player safety. Larry Fitzgerald was catching (receiving) the ball when he was speared by a Titans defensive player but was not considered a defenseless player so no flag on the play which resulted in Fitz being concussed? If the league is truly concerned about concussion issues where’s the logic to their discrimination?

Until we get the “real” refs back, these egregious missed calls will continue to place players in danger. The integrity of the game is at stake. What will it take to get the highly trained, highly paid professional officials back???
This is a workplace safety issue. The players union should speak up !!!

then the punter should run off the field in his skirt and not allowed to tackle anyone. this is football is it not. so the punter is allowed to tackle someone but cannot get blocked themselves. well the hit broke his jaw the initial hit was at his chest. but thats another point than to say the punter needs a bubble more exclusive even than a QB who you can hit at times outside the pocket or even on an interception. this is crazy.

Great job sexing up the story for more pageviews guys. Now can we have the rest of the story please?

1) Mouthpiece. I heard from other sites (that actually try to carry the whole story) that Huber was not wearing any. That’s a pretty big deal, as that kinda explains why he has a destroyed face right now. Should be an equipment violation of the safety variety (you know, what Goodell keeps talking about, “it’s all about the safety of the players” blah blah blah)…

2) Vertebrae. I also heard that the Bengals organization admitted that the neck injury was a preexisting condition. So the hit did or did not cause this injury? And if it was a preexisting condition, did the Bengals include it on the injury report for this game? Something ain’t right here.

3) We have people who have clearly never played football at a high level making rules for the NFL. This is a major issue. Your typical special teamer is running at a speed not possible for normal humans, surrounded by other similarly gifted athletes at a dead sprint. He’s thinking about not being able to afford his apartment, his girlfriend threatening to leave if he gets tossed to yet another city, and how just one play can possibly bring the end to his dream of being an NFL player. He is NOT looking at numbers and thinking about who is playing what position, he’s thinking about staying in his lane, who is entering, who is leaving… He’s not even looking to see where the ball carrier is running, he’s thinking “ZOMFG I GOTTA MAKE A SPLASH PLAY OR COACH COMES FOR ME ON TUESDAY”. He knows he’s supposed to pick a jersey and hit it, so he does. Anybody who has been in an evenly remotely similar situation can see how preposterous that is for him to say “Oh wait, that’s number 9, I do believe that could be the punter – let me wave at him so I can see if he remembered to use his mouthguard, and allow him to prepare for the block. I’ll just slow down and make sure to reach block him, since I cannot down block or use any force that I’m allowed to use on all the other players on the field.”

4) For all the indignant self-righteous people raining condemnation down upon those unclean and unfit to live – the punter was NOT LOOKING WHERE HE WAS RUNNING. My twelve-year-olds know better than that, and they don’t even speak english and have probably never seen an NFL game. The dude is missing his mouthguard, has no idea how to run in traffic, no idea how to take an angle, and probably no idea how to make a tackle. This has EPICFAIL written all over it.

What we have is an awful accident, with no malicious intent, between one desperate guy trying to stick on the roster, and another guy trying to make a play without having any business being there. Human beings, and it happens.

I agree 100% to the posters above, if the legs can’t be touched the same as other players, they cannot be allowed to remain on the field throughout the duration of the play. They gotta sprint for the sidelines ASAFP or should be just the same as the other 21 players on the field.

Just like the defenders that are now destroying knees in order to avoid fines and suspensions for unintentional helmet-to-helmet contact, this is a rule that is ruining the game. Sad.

It’s sad to say it but Tomlin coaches that kind of garbage play. Steelers will never be relevant again until they drop him. He is a third rate coach on what used to be a first rate organization. There is a difference between playing tough and playing dirty and since Cowher left the Steelers have no clue what that difference is. That was the worst cheap shot since Warren Sapp took out Chad Clifton.

Actually, they are not. As long as the player is not defenseless and the helmet contact is simply incidental, then it is not an infraction. IT’s a ticky-tacky call to say the least.

I regards to this confirmation, I still do not see the direct shot to the head and neck area. In the replay I saw, I see a hard chect hit that resulted in the punter’s head snapping forward and contacting Garvin’s helmet or shoulder pad. Per the direct wording of the rule, that would only be a penalty if the hit was on the QB during a pass.

I guess the league has a different replay that shows a better angle.

Regardless, all these bad calls even out by the end of the year, so stop crying Ben-Gal fans.

Another game, another Steeler player gets away with a clear fracture of the NFL rules. Try as they might, even WITH the referees help, Pittsburgh will be out of the playoffs again because of shotty ownership & a moron keeping their books…..and it will only get worse next year when they lose Miller, Keisel & Troy.
Fear not Bengaldom, even with the 2nd most regulars on season ending IR in the league…..we will still prevail.
Slings & arrows baby……..WHO DEY!!!

Turn this around – the play is a fake punt, Huber hands off to a runner coming around behind him and heads downfield to block. Amazingly, he lands a block on a Steeler exactly like the one he got. Levels the guy, Cincy scores a TD, no flag, etc. The Steeler player suffers a broken jaw and other injuries.

Being a Steeler fan, especially when Harrison was there, I saw a lot of hits deemed by the league after the fact as illegal. Even saw the ward block on Rivers, that was legal, but caused the Hines Ward rule.
So I am used to these things. Never mind not knowing that a kicker after the kick and in the return was deemed “defenceless”, but that the defenceless rules apply when a guy is not being tackled or sacked with the ball, but when he is being blocked when attempting to tackle … Gets into this grey area of “making a football play”.
I think the key line is that the league wants to get rid of these highlight reels before they get to court and they have enough wiggle room to define it as they see fit (with a room full of $800 an hour attorneys). That’s why the ref didn’t all it,
Soon there will be instant replay straight to the lawyer’s office.

Clearly on the officials. Can’t blame the players. If players didn’t commit fouls then penalties wouldn’t exist. That is acknowledgment that they occur. It’s the officials’ job to recognize them and assess the proper discipline.

That being said, this is another instance of where a non-call effected the outcome of the game. The return went for a TD, did it not? A penalty brings it back and the Bengals are down 14-0 with a chance to get a stop as opposed to 21-0.

I keep asking this. What team will get screwed next. And the playoffs are drawing closer and the standings tighter. So you know the impact will be magnified.

For starters it’s Hines ward not Heinz. Next, unless you have a telepathic link with Garvin you have no idea for sure what’s going thru his mind. So a report on the radio makes something true? Unless your there it’s just hearsay. I’ve been saying all song the hit was excessive, but Huber was about 5 yards away from Brown and his line if direction would’ve met up with brown, it’s not like his was 20 yards away. In Cincy Pittsburgh got the shaft from officiating, so it’s not just to screw the bengals. All helmet to helmet contact is not illegal ask I think Riddly and Bell how illegal the helmet hits were the Ravens put in them in last years AFC title game and the thanksgiving game. Raven trolls, stop calling the steelers dirty and classless, I’ve seen several games from the Ravens where they resorted to “if your can’t beat them, hurt them.”

There was a lack of penalties the whole game and pretty much any call that involved judgment went in favor of Pittsburgh. Ed Hochculi’s crew was reprimanded after the Cincy/Baltimore game for 2 bad personal foul calls that the league said after the game shouldn’t have been flagged on Burfict. The officiating crew was downgraded after this game and could this have been their revenge? Garvin and Tomlin should face multiple game suspensions and the Steelers should lose a couple of draft picks. The Steelers continue to hurt players and have ended player’s careers! The NFL cannot continue to look the other way. It’s time for the league to make an example out of this classless organization. Huber could have very easily been killed on the play. How would the league have explained that if it would have happened? There is no place in football for this vicious headhunting play. Garvin and Tomlin should be suspended one season. This is no different than the New Orleans head hunting scandal.

If a punter is “defenseless” then why are they allowed to tackle the ball carrier ? How is a punter “defenseless” when he is fully clothed from head to toe with league supplied and approved equipment ? Garvin did try to turn his head slightly to the left before contact.

How did punters survive back in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s without being killed by crack back blocks. Now days we want a much kinder, gentler NFL,,,,no one actually blocking anyone,,,no one being injured, everyone loving everyone, now aint that special? If this block was so grievous then why isn’t the official who missed this incident be fined like the players? Why not sit the offending official down a game or two to ponder this flagrant foul?
I see flag football on the horizon, with no touching. Mommy Johnny is touching me,,,Sally is touching me,,,,mommy?,,,mommy?

“You’re Done”…It’s not an issue of can the punter get smeared or not on a punt return. They can, legally… just not to the head. The reason isn’t because they’re big wussies. That’s irrelevant. It IS because of roster logistics. If a LB or DE or CB or WR or RB or whoever else goes down the answer is simple… next man up. Teams don’t carry extra kickers/punters and the loss of one due to Bush League sportsmanship can unfairly influence the outcome of a game. It takes from the quality of the matchup. The NFL has nearly mastered parity (as good as possible at least). If kickers/punters get injured through the common course of the game… deal with it. But not maliciously.

If they weren’t protected, why wouldn’t every team just sign an undrafted/unemployed bum off the streets (like this guy on the Steelers) every week to go in, take the kickers knee out with a cheap shot on the opening kickoff. Penalize and eject the guy, cut him, and get a new guy to do it next week. Maybe that’s exactly what a struggling franchise on the decline (the Steelers) planned all along???

Don’t get hoodwinked. If it is so clear who is and is not “defenseless” and therefore requires special treatment, why not have them declare in advance, maybe where a colour penny to make sure everyone knows and sees it … it would be the safe thing to do. We do it with returners, allowing them to declare in advance a fair kick.

The answer is that these things are not that clear in advance. Picture one reason in the world, if it is that clear, they don’t have a colour coded penny on the guys so the there is no room for error … like a road worker or something.

The refs, Michaels and Collinsworth, they all missed it (like Garvin) because the clarity is coming out after the fact. It is a lawyer’s world.

I’m a Ravens fan who agrees with a lot of the Bengals statements about favoritism – somewhat. I agree that we may get some calls now, but think that we got the same treatment years ago when the Squealers could do no wrong and we were flagged for just looking at the refs wrong (seriously, check it out, Suggs got ejected for looking at the ref “with malicious intent”…maybe he’s just ugly, but no reason for ejection.).
The Steelers have gotten calls for decades. The Ravens have finally reached “eliteness” because they get a lot, but it’s still not even with the Steelers. Flacco got hit in ankle hard and no call on MNF,,,and how about Tomlin being on the field trying to trip our kick-returner…and no whistle?
Yep, we get some, but the Steelers still own our division … with the refs anyway.

tavisteelersfan – the rule book says you can’t lead with helmet to the neck, facemask or helmet area the replay was very obvious to all bengal fans and others that know the rules the game refs and announcers just missed it – the league didn’t and garvin will get his

Complaining about ‘rule changes’ and the game getting soft doesn’t make you a true fan of the once pure football, it makes you look like an idiot who has no clue about the history of the game. There were 72 people killed playing football back in the no padding days between 1901 and 1905. Taking the padding away doesn’t necessarily solve anything. Also, it seems one thing that doesn’t change about football is the constant complaining about rule changes. Look it up. There are articles all through the last century complaining about the ‘rule changes’ (Heck there’s a cartoon depicting two players confused about the newly implemented rules from the first half of the century). At some point we should consider the flexibility of the NFL one of it’s greatest assets and (unlike baseball) it’s ability to constantly adapt the reason it’s the #1 sport in the United States and still growing.

@golflegal, signed “bums” off the street just to take out kickers/punters would fall into a bounty situation, that’s much worse then 1 guy who may or may not have known who he was hitting excessively. To compare the 2 is just wrong.

If the league wants to eliminate these kinds of hits then suspend the player that delivered the hit for as long as the player that was injured is out. In this case for the rest of the season. If the player is knocked out of the game then throw the player that delivered the hit out for the rest of the game too. Without pay.

I guarantee that if Burfrict made that play on the Steelers punter the flags would have flown.

Its no news to me that Hochuli and his boys screwed up. The NFL had to apologise for them the last time they reffed a Bengals game. They also missed the hit in the back on Andrew Hawkins on the same play.

Its tough enough playing the Steelers, but when you have to play the zebras too, that a tough go round.

opneon says:
Dec 18, 2013 9:21 AM
I’m a Ravens fan who agrees with a lot of the Bengals statements about favoritism – somewhat. I agree that we may get some calls now, but think that we got the same treatment years ago when the Squealers could do no wrong and we were flagged for just looking at the refs wrong (seriously, check it out, Suggs got ejected for looking at the ref “with malicious intent”…maybe he’s just ugly, but no reason for ejection.).
The Steelers have gotten calls for decades. The Ravens have finally reached “eliteness” because they get a lot, but it’s still not even with the Steelers. Flacco got hit in ankle hard and no call on MNF,,,and how about Tomlin being on the field trying to trip our kick-returner…and no whistle?
Yep, we get some, but the Steelers still own our division … with the refs anyway.

2 0
Report comment

First off wawawawawaw…….that’s how you say hello to a fellow raven fan. They respond to that as it’s their ref bashing call. Such a pitiful whining post about the refs. Good teams overcome the refs as the steelers once did and the ravens are doing now….it’s just how it is so stop whining it makes you look so small…..

Powder Puff Football………….great hit, great no call by the refs, if he didn’t want to get his then he should have not made himself a part of the play, kick the ball and get the heck outta the way or Keep Your Head on a Swivel

natijim235,
where did you get that notion, you can’t lead with your helmet? Is that true for an O-Lineman, how about the d-line, how about a running back in a goal line. Nonsense.
What went wrong here is that the kicker is designated a defenseless player … and who knew.

To me it looked like helmet to chest and the helmet slid to his chin. Btw, the cincy punter is listed as 6’1″ and 208 lbs, hardly a tiny tot on special teams.

And to Joemontanaflacco, I’m sure you were cheering plenty loud when Ray Lewis was ending Mendenhall’s season a few years a go. If an opposing punter got blown up in Baltimore, I’m sure the ravens fans would be cheering just as loudly when it got put up on the jumbo-tron.

While it’s unfortunate that Huber has a broken jaw and the cracked vertebrae, I don’t see the blocker leading with his head, I see him leading with his shoulder and forearms. I don’t see the blocker aiming at his Huber’s head or neck area, I see him aim at Huber’s chest.
One of the first things you learn about playing football is that if you are in pursuit during a play that you have to keep your head on a swivel, because blocker can come from anywhere, so you have to protect yourself!

And to Joemontanaflacco, I’m sure you were cheering plenty loud when Ray Lewis was ending Mendenhall’s season a few years a go. If an opposing punter got blown up in Baltimore, I’m sure the ravens fans would be cheering just as loudly when it got put up on the jumbo-tron.

No he probably wasn’t . Mom made him do homework first and you can tell it took him a long time. But I am sure he would be first to embrace a raven hurting another player as long as no flag is tossed.

I’m a die had Steelers fan but yeah that was a hit that didn’t need to be made. Terrance Garvin, never heard of him. Guess he wanted to make a name for himself. “I’ll show this kicker who’s boss” (fill in your best Cris Carter voice of C’mon Man”) A lot of steeler fans are very disappointed with not how the team is playing but by the decision making of the Head Coach. seems like Tomlin has lost the respect of the team. He’s not inspiring them to succeed. get rid of Todd Haley. bring in Martyball as o.c and run that ball…..

How come we constantly have fans from our division rivals (bengals, ravens and browns) come on-line and whine and cry about play calling. these players are paid for high impact plays. I’m not talking about cheap shots. im talking about every time Flacco gets touched some fan comes on here and whines about how come the league allows it. If you men have a problem with players hitting each other maybe you should quit watching the NFL games and start watching lingerie football. I’m sure Flacco would fit right in with the Baltimore Charm.

And you’re the guy who was posting the Garvin broke Huber’s neck–you’re not exactly the posterboy on accuracy. We all know how the rules have been applied for the last five years. Any change to that does a disservice to the return team. No one likes the hit on Huber. But I’m sure you would be equally furious if the Bengals were returning a potential TD and no one was allowed to stop the opposing kicker from making the TD-saving tackle.

I did not see the play so I cannot comment on it specifically.
However, the rules declaring someone is “defenseless” based on their position are just plain stupid. You can have rules protecting a player during some action, e.g., the act of punting or throwing a pass, but if you are going to declare a “position” defenseless, then that player must immediately lie down on the field after they have performed their defenseless act. In other words, a QB, PK, or P must fall to the ground and, in no way, participate in the remainder of the play. Otherwise, they can just wear tutus and run away from any contact.